First freeze in Wichita area forecast for overnight Friday — could harm outdoor plants
If you have plants outside, you may want to bring them indoors or cover them. The Wichita area could see its first hard freeze of the season this weekend.
Temperatures across the region are expected to dip into the mid- to upper 20s Friday night into Saturday morning, creating damaging conditions for flowers, vegetables and other outdoor annual plants, according to the National Weather Service in Wichita.
Meteorologist Mick McGuire said forecasters are expecting a “pretty cold air mass” to build across the area Friday, bringing with it the first hard freeze of fall.
He predicted a Saturday morning low of around 28 degrees, clear skies and light winds after a blustery Friday, as high pressure settles over the state.
“We expect some pretty strong radiational cooling, so any heat that we have is really just going to escape,” McGuire said.
The chilly weather is “so late in the season this year. ... A lot of years we get our first frost or freeze in October.”
People who want to protect their plants from the cold snap should cover them before sunset or bring them indoors. Fall frost can kill sensitive plants such as beans and summer squash, while hardier vegetables like lettuces, broccoli and cabbage can withstand a light freeze with little or no damage, according to the K-State Extension Office.
Plastic sheeting and blankets stretched over outdoor plants can protect them from frost. Small light bulbs may also keep vegetation warm enough to stave off damage from temperatures down to around 25 degrees, the extension office says.
McGuire said the weekend frost risk will be short-lived. Temperatures in the Wichita area are expected to climb back into the 50s by Saturday afternoon and aren’t forecast to drop below freezing again over the next several days.
Sunday morning lows should be in the mid- to upper 30s and highs will be in the 50s, McGuire said.
A brief warming trend early next week will keep lows in the upper 40s and push daytime highs into the 60s — and possibly close to 70 on Tuesday, he added.
But will the unseasonably warm temperatures last?
McGuire says no. Another cold front is expected to move into the Wichita area mid-week.
“As we continue to move forward in November ... our temperatures are trending downward,” he said. “The cold air is inevitable. It’s coming. It’s just giving us a little taste right now.”
